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Mark Isreal started his New York City business, which now boasts
27 clients and a storefront, in his apartment. Often, he'd work
24-hour days, with little profit to show for it. But lately
it's down to 16 to 18 hours a day. (Days off are used to
prepare for the next week, or to sleep, if time permits.) The
latest pre-IPO hotshot? Nope. Isreal founded Doughnut Plant more
than six years ago-and boy, if he only knew what he was getting
into.

Isreal, 37, first tasted the product of his late
grandfather's doughnut recipe while visiting his father in
1993. But doughnuts as a business never crossed his mind until the
next year. Even then, the venture seemed more a blessing by the
gods of serendipity.

After the weary wholesale bakery employee
"spontaneously" approached a local coffee shop with his
doughnuts, made with whole milk, organic flour and sugar, the
manager bought them immediately. And in an hour, they were
gone.

Due to the "flour everywhere" issue, Isreal moved his
business into a tiny basement, where he fulfilled orders with New
York gourmet food accounts like Balducci's and Dean &
Deluca (which he approached sans appointment), and PBS filmed him
toiling over dough for a New York food segment. And the press
raved: New York magazine even honored him with "Best
Doughnut in New York."

Isreal "did the most with what [he] had," like
delivering on his bike, sporting front and rear baskets, for five
years. But after some frustrating investment deals gone wrong, his
brother David invested in Doughnut Plant in exchange for a 20
percent stake, affording Isreal his present 2,000-square-foot
bakery/storefront and time-saving equipment.

Now Isreal counteracts ex-haustion with the pleasure of meeting
long-time fans of his doughnuts (of which he and six employees
produce 100 dozen daily). And since his last appearances on
Martha Stewart Living and Emeril Live last May,
traveling connoisseurs have even made extra stops to try one of 35
rotating flavors, like raspberry or pistachio, made with
morning-fresh fruit and nuts.

"People deserve a high-quality product that tastes
good," concludes Isreal. "I know it's just a
doughnut, but people have responded to it because there's a lot
of sincerity in what I do."